The highly anticipated 2024-25 college football bowl season is here, offering fans weeks of thrilling matchups, intense rivalries, and the ultimate battle for the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship. This year’s bowl season kicked off on Saturday, December 14, 2024, and runs until the CFP National Championship Game on Monday, January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Fans can look forward to a mix of classic bowl games and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff format, which brings added excitement and more opportunities for underdog stories to emerge.
Related:
- CFP National Championship 2025: Date, start time, location and everything you need to know
- CFP National Championship Halftime Show 2025: Who is performing this year and all the details
- College Football Playoff winners list: check out every National Championship winner updated until today
- College Football Playoff 2024-25: matchups, schedule, dates and everything you need to know
- College Football Playoff 2024-25 dates, how to watch every game, kickoff times
College Football Playoff 2024-25: Schedule explained
The most exciting change this year is the expanded College Football Playoff, which officially started on December 20-21, 2024. The first-round games were hosted on campus by the higher-seeded teams, adding an extra layer of intensity.
As the competition intensifies, fans will turn their attention to the prestigious New Year’s bowls in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The action begins on December 31, 2024, with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
On January 1, 2025, college football fans will be treated to three marquee matchups: the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the iconic Rose Bowl Game, and the highly anticipated Allstate Sugar Bowl.
After the quarterfinals, the competition becomes even more intense, as only four teams remain in the hunt for the national title.
The semifinal round will be played on two major stages, with the Capital One Orange Bowl scheduled for January 9, 2025, followed by the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on January 10, 2025.
All roads lead to the grand finale – the CFP National Championship, which will be played on Monday, January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
College Football Playoff 2024-25: Kickoff times and TV Channels
Note: All times Eastern.
First round (Dec. 20-21)
- Friday, Dec. 20: Indiana vs Notre Dame (8 p.m., ABC/ESPN)
- Saturday, Dec. 21: SMU vs Penn State (12 p.m., TNT/MAX)
- Saturday, Dec. 21: Clemson vs Texas (4 p.m., TNT/MAX)
- Saturday, Dec. 21: Tennessee vs Ohio State (8 p.m., ABC/ESPN)
Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
- Tuesday, Dec. 31: Fiesta Bowl – Boise State vs Penn State (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
- Wednesday, Jan. 1: Peach Bowl – Arizona State vs Texas (1 p.m., ESPN)
- Wednesday, Jan. 1: Rose Bowl – Oregon vs Ohio State (5 p.m., ESPN)
- Tuesday, Jan. 2: Sugar Bowl – Georgia vs Notre Dame (4:00 p.m., ESPN)
Semifinals (Jan. 9-10)
- Thursday, Jan. 9: Orange Bowl – Penn State vs Notre Dame (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
- Friday, Jan. 10: Cotton Bowl – Ohio State vs Texas (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
CFP National Championship
- Monday, Jan. 20: TBD vs TBD (7:30 p.m., ESPN)